We can add Kris Jenkins, former all-pro defensive tackle for the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, to the list of people who don't think all that n-word business that's currently sinking Paula Deen's career is a very big deal.

“The lady was a sweetheart to me; [her] making a mistake I’m not going to be the one to make a big deal of it,” Jenkins said. “I got to see her heart and for me, I don’t look at the ‘N word’ as a bad word like that in this year—in 2013. The reason is because I think the ‘N word’ is more a test of my inner strength as to how strong am I to even be bothered by the word or not.”

[...]

“I enjoyed her. Her not being on the show, it’s a drag, but it’s out of my control,” Jenkins said. “Sometimes it strikes me odd that when you give an opinion, everybody wants to condemn for an opinion but if the same shoe was on the other foot, the same people would want to play.”

I think Paula Deen may have brainwashed Kris Jenkins with some kind of mind-controlling butter substance, you guys. Anyway, if you want to be creeped out, skip ahead to the 3:00-mark of the video above and watch as a horrifying conversation about Mark Sanchez's charm and Paula Deen's status as a "cougar" unfolds. Sorry, Paula, but I don't think you could keep up with Mark.